The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described plots to impeach Samuel Ortom, Governor of Benue State by eight members of the State House of Assembly who are also members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as an attempt scare other top politicians from defecting to the PDP like Ortom did.
The opposition party stated this in a statement issued after the emergency National Working Committee (NWC) meeting held on Monday in Abuja.
It blamed Adams Oshiomhole, the APC National Chairman,and the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government for the action.
Ortom defected from the ruling APC last week citing pressure from his constituents as reason for the action.
But eight of the total 30 lawmakers of the Benue State House of Assembly, had subsequently stormed the state assembly backed by the police to serve an impeachment notice on Mr Ortom in clear breach of the legislative process on numerical strength for such a move.
On the flipside, about 22 lawmakers from the opposition PDP were reportedly barred from the premises of the assembly by police officers.
The APC lawmakers accused Ortom of misappropriating billions in public funds while state workers groan amidst unpaid salaries.
The PDP however, expressed shock that the lawmakers were led by Terkibir Ikyange who was impeached as speaker by his colleagues last week.
“The NWC condemns in its entirely the purported sitting of eight APC members including the impeached and suspended Speaker; (in a 30 member House) wherein they illegally claimed to have served an impeachment notice on the Governor of Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ortom. PDP also condemns the use of the EFCC and DSS to harass and intimidate officials of the Benue State Government.
“We note the roles played by the factional Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government and Sen. George Akume in encouraging lawless acts and anarchy in Benue State.
“The party believes the actions and opinions expressed by Oshiomole on the decamping of Governor Ortom to the PDP as an act intended to precipitate crisis for declaration of state of emergency in Benue,” the PDP said.
The PDP warned against such deliberate acts adding that these were “maliciously designed to truncate democracy by employing underhand tactics to achieve what is inconceivable in a democracy.”
“The party calls on the Nigerian public, the civil society organisations and International Community to note the series of plots and deliberate attempts by the Buhari led APC Federal Government to cause mayhem in a state that is struggling to recover from a spate of killings and bloodletting.
“We are aware that these plots were designed to scare away Nigerians, including state governors and legislators, who are desirous of rallying with the PDP to rescue our nation from the misgovemance of the Buhari regime,” it added.
